Collapsible box.



No. 785,772. PA'LENTED MAR. 28, 1905.

' 0. H. STONBBRIDGE.

GOLLAPSIBLE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1903. RENEWED AUG. 30, 1904.

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/.ln i l mqll WITNESSES- Z- KX Fatented March 28, 1905.

CHARLES H. STONEBRIlDGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAPSIBLE BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,772, dated March28, 1905. Application filed June 10, 1903. Renewed August 30,1904.Serial No. 222,753.

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. STONE- BRIDGE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Boxes,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible boxes, and more particularly tocollapsible lanterns having a foldable box-like body, and in itsparticular elements of improvement relates to the subject-matter of twoapplications for Letters Patent for collapsible boxes filed by me,respectively, December 18, 1902, and January 31, 1903, and respectivelybearing the Serial Nos. 135,777 and 141,299, to which prior applicationsreference is hereby made as to a disclosure of a complete device such asthe said present improvements relate to.

The present invention has for its object to provide certain features ofimprovement in a device of the character described, and particularlyrelating to devices for securing several of the members or features incollapsible though operative connection, and to a casing or lockingdevice whereby when all the parts and members are in folded or collapsedcondition the same may be so maintained in compact portable form.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification, in which like reference characters denote like parts inthe several figures, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a collapsiblelantern embodying the present improvements and in extended or operativeposition and connec tion of parts. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame in collapsed or folded condition. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionalview of the same, taken upon the line X X, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detailfragmentary front elevation of the same, showing the improved securingdevices constituting an essential part of the invention; and Fig. 5 is adetail fragmentary vertical sectional view taken upon the line Y Y, Fig.4. The views in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are upon an enlarged scale.

Referring with particularity to the drawings, the lantern shown hereinas embodying the present improvements embodies a body portion 1,consisting of a plurality of pivotally-connected side or body members a,I), c, and d, a top member 2, pivotally connected with the side member 0of the body portion, and a bottom member 3, pivotally connected with theside member 0 of the body portion and provided with a catch 3 fordetachably connecting the same with the side member a. The top member 2is provided with a foldable guard 2 for an air opening or vent 2 in thetop member. Each of the pivotal connections, four in number, of the fourside members a, b, c, and d, the pivotal connection of the top member 2with the side member c, and the pivotal connection of the bottom member3 with the side member 0, as well as of the guard 2 with the top member2, consists of a plurality of knuckles 4, formed upon the connectedmembers and fixed pintles 5, passing through the several knuckles. Theguard 2 consists of two members 6 and 7, respectively, which arepivotally connected together, as at 8, by means of a bail 9, whichserves as a handle for carrying the entire device, and all of the saidmembers of the lantern, including the guard 2 are so formed andproportioned as to be capable of collapsing or folding into compact andsubstantially flat condition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

According to the present invention I provide improved securing devices10 for detachably uniting the side member a,the top member 2, and theguard '2, and said securing devices 10. embody a member 10, mounted uponthe guard 2 and a member 10 mounted upon the side member a, the topmember 2 being provided with an opening 10, as clearly illustrated inFig. 5, for receiving said member 10 in projection through the same.When said member 10 has been projected through the opening 10 andengaged with the member 10 the several members and parts a, 2, and 2 arefirmly united together.

The preferred form of construction of the securing devices 10 is asfollows: The member 10 consists of an elongated loop of stiff wire 11,which is pivotally connected with an edge portion of the member 7 of theguard 2 being arranged substantially in the same plane as said member 7when in operative connection with the member 10 of the securing devices1() being capable of easy manipulation for the projection of the samethrough the opening 10 in the top member 2. Member 10 of the securingdevices 10 embodies a spring-tongue 12, preferably stamped out of sheetmetal and secured at its lower edge, as at 13, in connection with theouter face of the side member a, the upper edge portion 14 of saidtongue 1.2 being free to move under ten sion toward or away from theouter face of the said member a. Said upper edge portion 14 is bentinwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, to form a knuckle arranged to beardirectly upon the outer face of the said member a, and saidspring-tongue 12 is provided with a rectangular opening 15 ,which isformed in the upper portion. of the same substantially centrally thereofand including a portion of the knuckle at 14. Pivotally mounted in saidknuckle 14 is a finger-piece 16, formed of a single length of stiffwire, the end portions 16 of which are pivotally received in the knuckle14, respectively, at opposite sides of the opening 15 and the centralportion 1.6 of which is formed into a depending loop, which projectsupwardly through the opening 15 and normally depends in position forconvenient manipulation when. the loop 11, constituting the member 1.0of the securing devices 10, is passed downwardly through the opening 10"in the top member 2 and between the knuckle 14 and the outer face of thesaid member a. Saidloop 11 is of such proportions as to permit theknuckle 14 to enter the former and prevent the withdrawal of the formerfrom engagement with the latter, thus firmly uniting the guard 2, thetop member 2, and the side member a without their releasing by thefinger-piece 16, the depending loop 16 of which now rests upon or bearsagainst said loop 11. If .now the loop 16" of the finger-piece 16 befirmly pressed upon, so as to force the same against the loop 11 of themember 10, the latter will be disengaged from the knuckle 14 and thesame may be freely withdrawn through the opening 10", so as to permitdisconnection of the several parts and features for folding.

17 designates the improved casing or look ing device, constituting anessential feature of the present invention, and the same is shown inFig. 1 in the position it occupies when the parts are in extended oroperative position, the same being shown in Figs. 2 and 3 in theposition which it occupies when the entire device is in collapsed orfolded condition. In constructing the body portion 1 of the lantern thepintles and knuckles 5 and 4, respectively, whereby are united the sidemembers I), c, and d, are arranged in each series to slightly projectoutwardly from the sides of the said member a, which, as clearly shownin Figs. 1 and 3, is made of slightlydished formation to receive theother parts and members in flat folded condition. The casing or lockingdevice 1.7 is formed to be engaged with the knuckles 4, connecting saidside members I), c, and (i when the lantern is in operative position, asshown in Fig. 1, as a supplemental side member or body-stiffener, andalso to be connected with such knuckles when the lantern is in collapsedcondition, as shown in Fig. 2, to firmly look all the parts and memberstogether in such collapsed condition and to serve as a cover or casingfor the lantern. When the lantern is in operative position of parts, thecasing or locking device 17 is engaged with the lantern, so as to coverthe side member 0 exteriorly, said side member 0 being preferably ofcontinuous oblong formation, whereas said members a, I), and d may be ofopen formation and provided with mica or other transparent ortranslucent light emitting portions 18. When the lantern is in collapsedcondition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, all of the parts and features ofthe same are folded into flat condition, the side members a and (1 beingfolded between the side members I) and c and the top member 2 beingfolded flat upon the side member I) beneath the guard 2 and. bail 9.l/Vith the parts and features in these positions, the casing or lockingdevice 17 isengaged with the knuckles connecting the said members b, c,and d in a position the reverse of that above described, in whichposition it extends exteriorly of the guard 2 and incloses betweenitself and the side member a the top member 2, the guard 2, and the saidmembers a, I), and d, as well as the bottom member 3, which is foldedbetween the side member c and the side member d.

In the preferred form of construction the casing or locking device 17consists of a plate or cover 17, provided with an end flange 17 b andside flanges 17, the latter being angular in form for firm engagementswith the knuckles connecting the side members I), c, and (Z. Said plateor cover 17 is preferably of substantially the same area as the sidemember 0, and, when it is associated with the several features and partsof the lantern in collapsed condition, all of the latter are securelyhoused and locked between said plate or cover 17 and the said member 0.

The operation, advantages, and method of use of the present improvementswill be readily understood, particularly by reference to said priorapplications initially herein referred to. l/Vhen the lantern is knockeddown or collapsed, so that the parts occupy the position shown in Figs.2 and 3, the easing or locking device 17 is merely reversed from theposition which it occupies when the lantern is in operative position andfirmly maintains the several parts and features in collapsed conditionfor transportation in IIC very small space, and the entire device inthis position is efiectually protected against breakage or other damage.The securing devices 10 enable the guard 2, top member 2, and sidemember a to be conveniently connected and disconnected, as desired, suchdisconnection requiring merely the application of light pressure to theloop 16 of the finger-piece 16 to free the loop 11 from the knuckle 14.When the loop 11 is in connection with said knuckle 14, the springquality of the tongue 12 firmly maintains such connection and theresultant connection of the several parts.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the specificconstruction as shown and described herein, but reserve the right tovary the same in adapting the invention to varying conditions of usewithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the terms of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to securebyLetters Patent- 1. In a device of the class described, a body member,a top member, and a guard for an opening in the top member; and securingdevices for detachably uniting the same, comprising a member mountedupon said guard and arranged for projection through an opening in saidtop member, and a member mounted upon said body member and arranged forengagement with said member which is mounted upon said guard andprovided with a finger-piece for disconnecting the two members of saidsecuring devices.

2. In a device of the class described, a body portion consisting of aplurality of body members ivotally connected together and capable offolding in a fiat condition, and a casing or lockin device slidablyconnected with one of said body members when the body portion is inoperative condition exteriorly of the same and which is slidablyconnected with said body member exteriorly of the other body memberswhen the body portion is in folded condition.

3. In a device of the class described, a body portion consisting of aplurality of body members pivoted together and ca able of folding intoflat condition, said b0 y members being pivotally connected by means ofknuckles and intles, and a casing or locking device norma ly connectedwith one of said body members eXteriorly of the same and by means of theknuckles and pintles associated with the same and similarly connectedwith said body member exteriorly or the other of said body members whenthe device is in folded condition.

In .testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of thesubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. STONEBRIDGE.

Witnesses:

F. H. WADSWORTI-I, RAYMOND I. BLAKESLEE.

